Just a Few of My Favourite Red Lip Products for the Upcoming Winter

Right (from top): Clinique Chubby Stick 'Two Ton Tomato', Tarte LipSurgence "Fiery",  Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil "Red Square"
Left (from top): MAC 'All Fired Up', Charlotte Tilbury 'Red Carpet Red', Benefit 'Benebalm'

Let's be real... Red lips are totally timeless. They look damn good when done right and have been on trend since the mid 1930's and there's a reason for that. Red lipstick looks good on just about anyone and depending on which one you choose, it can do wonders to really bring out your skin tone, eyes and hair colour. Also, red lips look great all year round and you can wear them wherever you like, whenever you like. I've taken full advantage of this and I wear them to school, work or around town. Here's a few of my most favourite ones that I've picked out just for your viewing pleasure! I have quite a neutral, very fair skin tone so I can pull off reds with both blue and orange undertones and they won't make me look totally strange. I've got a variety of tones, finishes and consistencies that I absolutely adore.

From left to right: MAC 'All Fired Up', Tarte 'Fiery', Nars 'Red Square', Benefit 'Benebalm', Charlotte Tilbury 'Red Carpet Red', Clinique 'Two Ton Tomato'.

While I was in high school, I always thought about wearing red lipstick but it never seemed to look any good. This was partly because my skin was quite bad and wearing red brought out the redness in my face. It was also because I just had not quite acquired the confidence to wear it yet, nor had I discovered the right techniques and tools to make wearing red lips look effortless and chic. If you are looking for a great online tutorial, check out Lisa Eldridge's beautiful guide to making your lips look brilliant. This being said, I do believe that bold lips are a more matured makeup look and do often look out of place at a high school, so I don't regret not forcing it to happen.

As for the confidence, that is something I had to work on my own. There is no YouTube video that will truly show you step by step how to feel great whilst stepping outside of your comfort zone, especially when this stepping out of one's comfort zone is occurring on your face for everyone to see. This is a reason why I love sheer red lip products (Benebalm and the Clinique Chubby Stick), they are moisturizing, lightly pigmented and give your makeup look a bit of extra oomph, which out going overboard on days when you just aren't feeling it. I wore these a lot when I started experimenting with lip colour, but I still enjoy them even now. The first few times I wore truly red lips out to work or school, people tended to comment. Though it made me feel like I was being put on the spot a bit, but I persevered through it and now I wear bright lips nearly every other day to one place or another without a care in the world. Also, when people get used to seeing you in something, it ceases to become a conversation piece, which is a relief. Let me wear my lipstick in peace, goddamnit!!

Currently I have some of the Nars Audacious Lipsticks on my wish list, and boy, do they look divine. Cannot wait to get my hands on some of those. Reviews say they have great colour payoff and even colour distribution. Delicious. Shades Marlene, Lana and Grace look bloody amazing.

Which reds do you like? Are you a frequent wearer or only once in a blue moon? I wanna know!